Chapter 7: BESTIarY and they are at least semi-intelligent, communicating with each other in a strange guttural language Their unknown and recent origins, as well as their dragonlike appearance, lead many to suspect some connection to the Dragon Kings A matakata is an enormous, hard-shelled creature that measures nine feet to the shell-top, twelve feet in breadth and eighteen in length from snout to tip of tail It weighs even more than its girth would indicate, owing to the massive and thick protective shell that covers its body from neck, shoulders, hips, and base of tail A matakata’s eight ton weight makes it cumbersome and slow, able to move only with great effort in lumbering steps Certain soft sands are impossible for it to cross, in fact, so it must be careful never to wander into places where its weight cannot be spread sufficiently by its broad feet Despite its plodding locomotion, the creature is agile in combat and self-defense; once engaged in battle, the matakata becomes instantly resigned to fight in that spot to the finish The dragon turtle’s primary attack is its bite, delivered by a deceptively quick jaw and neck Its flat teeth hold and crush, rather than rend and tear It can also pummel with its feet and tail, but these far slower attacks are only effective against prey that cannot easily dodge or move out of their way It can also lunge forward unexpectedly to trap and crush a target beneath the shell on its chest—a maneuver few living creatures can survive The matakata’s shell is a fibrous, secreted resin material unique to its species Young emerge from their eggs with only a very thin shell This continuously grows thicker over the years, expanding to match the growing body within and repairing any damage suffered When fully grown, a matakata can quickly retract its head, limbs, and tail completely within its shell, even closing hinged shell pieces to make its personal fortress impregnable against any attack, even flames Matakata shell is difficult to work once the creature is dead, as even steel saws dull quickly when trying to cut through it Some artisans capture young ones and cage them alive in what are essentially molds to reform the growing shell into shields, helmets, or other bits of armor Of course, capturing baby dragon turtles away from their protective mothers is a dangerous feat in itself In addition to its incredibly useful outer shell, the matakata has a unique ability to create moisture for itself from its surroundings, even when there is no natural moisture to be found Left to its own devices, the dragon turtle can gather rock, sand, and soil into special pockets inside its under-shell where an unidentified process turns some of it into potable water, which it immediately consumes or shares with its young With this ability, they are free to wander even the most remote, arid portions of the world without fear of dehydration Mesachnat (Hypno-Spider) Classic Age chroniclers named this predator species the mesachnat , though most refer to it commonly as the hypno-spider Locals around the Fairian Woods and environs also call it taer’moonloch (“predator of shining eyes”) The mesachnat is far deadlier than the runof-the-mill spiders that inhabit the city of Pavouk and other regions of Khitus This horrid, man-sized arachnid hunts other creatures its own size, lurking usually in woodlands or rocky places Contrary to the habits of other arachnids, the mesachnat hunts in broad daylight to take advantage of its most potent trait It positions itself directly in the sun and redirects its light through its crystalline fur, creating an intense flash that can temporarily blind and partially incapacitate its victims with intense headaches Once the mesachnat stuns its victim, it jumps onto it and injects a paralyzing toxin via its bite Once its prey is subdued, the beast wraps its victim in webs to store it alive for later consumption Those lucky enough to escape such monsters claim an eerie side effect of hypno135